Masquerade

Happy Halloween, I guess?

Buried

One-man show.

But Ryan Reynolds manages to pull it through with a convincing performance and have the audiences (or was it just me?) in there with him in that ill-fated wooden coffin, sands, glow sticks, and all.

It is shows like this that brings the cynics out of us, or maybe it just reinforces it into us since most are probably somewhat cynical already. And you wonder if such cases are indeed happening. (Not to forget the very real head-sawing clip I'd seen once...) Totally sends shivers down the spine.

Recommended to watch. Storyline is pretty good, though not a pretty sight. Dialogues aren't bad and there are some actions too, involving a certain rattlesnake and mutilation. Plus a twist ending - which I'm a sucker of...

My Ratings:

"Peace not War"

Charlie St. Cloud

Everything was going pretty well for Charlie; a sailing scholarship to Stanford, a bright future, and a very close bond with his younger brother, Sam. But all these changed overnight; a car accident and the death of Sam. Fast forward to five years later and we see Charlie as the caretaker of the cemetery where Sam now lies. Everyone seems to think he is a little cuckoo-ed; talking to dead people, playing catch every night with Sam like nothing has changed. 

Then a girl (it's always a girl, eh?) and Charlie is torn between honoring his promise or letting go. 

The storyline is kinda predictable and no prizes for guessing which option he chose. But this does not mean the story is bad. Rather, the story makes us realize our own mortality and how painful it can be to lose someone. And that you'll just have to learn to trudge along alone (or unless a girl/boy comes along :þ). However, there's practically zero character development and other than Charlie, Sam, and Tess, other characters are pretty much forgettable. Especially the mum (Kim Bassinger), completely dismissible. 

Other plus points though: 

• The seaside town where the movie is set is simply gorgeous (even the cemetery is beautiful somewhat), and
• Zac Efron's good looks *winks

My Rating:

Dive for Dreams

Quoted from E.E. Cummings "Dive for Dreams" poem ~~

Chance Encounter - Not

"Be sober, be vigilante; because your adversary the Devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour."
1 Peter 5:8

I think I am a sucker for movies with twist endings. So obviously I found the movie to be intriguing and interesting. I had a thought who might the Devil be amongst the five trapped in the elevator at the start (turned out I wasn't quite wrong) and I liked how the story unfolded which made me doubted if I'd picked the correct one at a certain point in the movie... [If you still haven't heard of Devil by now, check out the trailer here]

And the cinematography was nicely done - even when 80% of the film was inside a standard elevator. It provided the necessary thrill and scare though far too gentle compared to, say, Asian horror films.

I couldn't believe though that the electrocution scene was censored! It wasn't even scary from the few seconds I glimpsed on some alternate trailer clip....

Anyways, when I reached home after the movie, I experienced some things; I was checking my side view mirror while reversing my car into the parking slot and when I turned back to the front, I saw a person walked pass - almost out of nowhere, mind you - heading for guess what, the ELEVATOR. Instantly, the idea crossed my mind, however ridiculous it may be haha..  but I did not take the same elevator up (not deliberately of course). That night in my bedroom, the lights dimmed and flickered; a bulb decided it was time to burn out. Such timing, eh?

Still, I'll be looking forward to seeing the remaining installments of Shyamalan's The Night Chronicles.

My Rating: